Workshop at work a few days ago to raise awareness about disabilities and in particular autism and asperger this time.
First suprise (for me!), 2/3 of the audience, my colleagues, had had some first hand experience with autism or asperger in the form of family members, or friends' children who had been diagnosed with the disability..
The disability was only recognised relatively recently, in the 40s for the first mention with a name, and in the 80s for a first legislation in the UK.
1.1% of of the UK population in 2014 had a diagnosis, which was affecting 2.8 million families. But the seminar organiser reckoned that in fact there are many more people than this who are not diagnosed for various reasons: they don't wish to be; this doesn't affect their life so they are not interested in a diagnosis; diagnosis are done primarily on children or teenagers during their school years, so older people have never had the occasion to be diagnosed in their lives..
The female/male ratio is 4:1, although this may be in large part because females are better at mimicking 'normal' social behaviours, and consequently integrate better...
Some companies nowadays were especially trying to recruit autistic people because of the highly focussed and driven aspects of their personalities that they displayed...
Autistic people find it more difficult to live in Britain than say in countries like South Africa, because of social conventions over here which mean that people are not direct and generally don't say what they mean: Politeness is the rule here. "Could you consider doing..." when really what is meant is "do it!..." ("it's raining cats and dogs.." huh???)
I can sympathize here!
And it went on. It was hugely interesting and enlightening.
More on the National Autistic Society
First suprise (for me!), 2/3 of the audience, my colleagues, had had some first hand experience with autism or asperger in the form of family members, or friends' children who had been diagnosed with the disability..
The disability was only recognised relatively recently, in the 40s for the first mention with a name, and in the 80s for a first legislation in the UK.
1.1% of of the UK population in 2014 had a diagnosis, which was affecting 2.8 million families. But the seminar organiser reckoned that in fact there are many more people than this who are not diagnosed for various reasons: they don't wish to be; this doesn't affect their life so they are not interested in a diagnosis; diagnosis are done primarily on children or teenagers during their school years, so older people have never had the occasion to be diagnosed in their lives..
The female/male ratio is 4:1, although this may be in large part because females are better at mimicking 'normal' social behaviours, and consequently integrate better...
Some companies nowadays were especially trying to recruit autistic people because of the highly focussed and driven aspects of their personalities that they displayed...
Autistic people find it more difficult to live in Britain than say in countries like South Africa, because of social conventions over here which mean that people are not direct and generally don't say what they mean: Politeness is the rule here. "Could you consider doing..." when really what is meant is "do it!..." ("it's raining cats and dogs.." huh???)
I can sympathize here!
And it went on. It was hugely interesting and enlightening.
More on the National Autistic Society
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